04.05.

1979: How Margaret Thatcher Became Prime Minister

On this day, the first and for now the only woman in history became British Prime Minister – the “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher. Raised as a strict Methodist (her father was a preacher of the Methodist Church), Margaret graduated in chemistry at the prestigious Oxford University.

Her maiden name was Roberts, and she became Thatcher after she married Dennis Thatcher, a successful businessman who dealt in oil. It is interesting that Dennis Thatcher was a millionaire and financed her training as a barrister. She got involved in politics and climbed through the ranks of the Conservative Party.

When she came to the Prime Minister’s residence (10 Downing Street) she paraphrased the words of the Prayer of Saint Francis: ”Where there is discord, may we bring harmony. Where there is error, may we bring truth. Where there is doubt, may we bring faith. And where there is despair, may we bring hope.”

Interestingly, she got the nickname “Iron Lady” even before she became prime minister. That name was given to her by Soviet journalists from the newspaper Red Star, after one of her verbal attacks on the Soviet Union. She confirmed that nickname with her strong position during the Falklands War, when she even ordered the sinking of the Argentinean warship “General Belgrano”, which led to, according to many, the unnecessary deaths of 323 Argentinians.